The world looks skyward as the Space Shuttle era ends

Max Harrold, Postmedia News07.08.2011

In this handout provided by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), space shuttle Atlantis launches from pad 39A on July 8, 2011 at the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The launch of Atlantis, STS-135, is the final flight of the shuttle program, a 12-day mission to the International Space Station.Bill Ingalls
/ NASA via Getty Images

Space Shuttle Atlantis Astronauts, Mission Specialists Rex Walheim, Sandra Magnus, Pilot Doug Hurley, and Commander Chris Ferguson walkout from the Operations and Checkout Building into the Astrovan in preparation for the countdown in Cape Canaveral, Florida. After Atlantis mission STS-135 the Space Shuttle program will come to an end.Roberto Gonzalez
/ Getty Images

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — The space shuttle Atlantis roared up from the Kennedy Space Center Friday on the 135th and final mission in America's 30-year space shuttle program, one in which Canada has played a significant supporting role.

Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk, in Florida with several Canadian space program veterans, said the launch evoked a mixture of "joy and relief. And privilege, because it was the last shuttle launch and it is the end of an era. I was part of it."

Thirsk, 57, a British Columbia native who flew on the shuttle in 1996, watched the liftoff not far from the launch pad, surrounded by TV transmission trucks and with his "astronaut friends," fellow Canadian shuttle veterans Dave Williams and Chris Hadfield.

Thirsk's said his relief was due to the fact that all four U.S. crew members aboard Atlantis — mission commander Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley, and mission specialists Rex Walheim and Sandy Magnus — are all dear friends and "what we do is rather risky and daring."

The shuttle program was cancelled last year by the publicly funded U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration so it can focus its efforts on missions to the rest of our solar system. But the race is on in the private sector to build a replacement for the shuttle to ferry U.S. and other crews — including Canadians — to the International Space Station, which will operate in low-Earth orbit until at least 2020, possibly 2028.

Such a vehicle is not likely to be ready, however, until at least 2016. Until then, the U.S. and Canada will rely on Russian Soyuz rockets to get to and from the space station.

Watching from her car parked next to Highway 1 along Indian River in Titusville, Fla., with a direct view of the launch site across the water, Roxie Richardson, 22, burst into tears as the shuttle's golden plume made its way up to and through the grey clouds.

"It's such a feeling of pride, of patriotism, to watch it go up," she said.

Her boyfriend, Nik Silva, 29, said the launch was "breathtaking. I don't feel that I ever rooted for something as much." The couple drove from their home about an hour's drive inland to watch a shuttle launch for the first — and last — time.

Robert Nieto, 57, was about three blocks from the shore when he saw the fiery tail rising. "Wow. They're gone," the retired pest control worker said. "I drove all the way from Corpus Christie (Texas) to see this at least once in my life."

Despite only a slim, 30 per cent chance of weather clear enough for a launch, the spacecraft blasted off at 11:29 a.m., only three minutes later than planned. The voice of mission control announced it as the "final liftoff of Atlantis. On the shoulders of the space shuttle, America will continue the dream."

An estimated 750,000 to one million people were on Florida's space coast to watch the launch up close. Some said it was a sad day for the area, with hundreds of local layoffs resulting from the end of the shuttle program.

The 12-day mission is bringing the Raffaello module, packed with 11,340 kilograms of supplies and spare parts for the space station, and the Robotic Refueling Mission, a refrigerator-sized satellite mock-up that the Canadian-built Dextre robot will grapple in an experiment to simulate refuelling satellites on orbit — a hot emerging market, experts say.

Back home in Canada, Jean-Paul Langevin, 46, a project engineer with MDA Corp. in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que., watched the liftoff on a jumbo TV in the company cafeteria there. Having worked for 23 years with MDA designing the Canadarm 2, Langevin said the final launch was an emotional one for him, as it no doubt was for many who worked behind the scenes in support of Canada's involvement with the shuttle. The Canadarm, Canadarm 2 and Dextre have been key tools in building the station and deploying and repairing satellites, including the pioneering Hubble Space Telescope.

Langevin worked closely with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield before his historic 2001 shuttle mission, on which Hadfield conducted the first spacewalk by a Canadian.

The spacewalk involved unfastening the 2,000-kilogram, 17-metre-long Canadarm 2 from the payload bay of the space shuttle so it could be attached to the space station.

The eight bolts holding the Canadarm 2 in place were each a metre long. Langevin's work training Hadfield how to remove the bolts was crucial: Hadfield thanked Langevin from space after a marathon spacewalk to unbolt the Canadarm 2 and install it.

"You know the astronauts are in the spotlight," Langevin said. "It's true, they're the captains. But what we do matters a lot. They tell us. Their lives count on it."

mharrold@montrealgazette.com

Space shuttle heavy lifting:

- 359 individuals (including eight Canadians) have launched on 851 trips; 833 trips have been safely concluded; 14 crew members were lost in flight in the Challenger and Columbia disasters.

- 179 payloads (not including the current ones) have been deployed; 52 have been returned.

- 1,607,827 kilograms of usable cargo has been delivered; 103,932 kilograms has been returned.

- The shuttles have spent 1,310 days in flight and run 20,830 orbits (not counting the current mission).

- 9 dockings with the MIR; 36 dockings with the International Space Station (Atlantis is set to dock there again on Sunday).

- Marc Garneau was the first Canadian in space, flying on the shuttle Challenger from Oct. 5 to 13, 1984. He flew again, on Endeavour, from May 19 to May 29, 1996. His last flight was aboard Endeavour, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, 2000.

- Roberta Bondar was the second Canadian, and the first Canadian woman, in orbit. She flew on shuttle Discovery from Jan. 22 to 30, 1992, performing experiments in the Spacelab and on the middeck.

- Steve MacLean flew onboard shuttle Columbia from Oct. 22 to Nov. 1, 1992 and on the Atlantis from Sept. 9 to 21, 2006. MacLean became the first Canadian to operate Canadarm 2 in space and the second Canadian to perform a spacewalk.

- Bjarni Tryggvason flew on shuttle Discovery Aug. 7 to Aug. 19, 1997, performing fluid science experiments designed to examine sensitivity to spacecraft vibrations before the construction of the International Space Station.

- Bob Thirsk flew on the Columbia June 20 to July 7, 1996, performing experiments on plants, animals and humans. From May to December 2009, Thirsk was the first Canadian long-term resident of the International Space Station, living there for six months. His transport that time was not the space shuttle, but a Russian Soyuz rocket.

- Chris Hadfield flew on the Atlantis Nov. 12 to 20, 1995, becoming the only Canadian to board the Russian space station Mir and the first Canadian to operate the Canadarm in orbit. From April 19 to May 1, 2001, he flew on Endeavour and was the first Canadian to spacewalk, conducting two outings on that mission.

- Julie Payette flew on Discovery May 27 to June 6, 1999. Payette served as a mission specialist, was responsible for the station systems, supervised a space walk and operated the Canadarm robotic arm. From July 15 to 31, 2009, Payette served as flight engineer on Endeavour. Payette operated all three robotic arms — the shuttle's Canadarm, the station's Canadarm2, and a special-purpose Japanese arm on the Kibo module.

- Dave Williams flew on Columbia in April 1998, serving as medical officer and the flight engineer during the ascent phase. Williams was a mission specialist on Endeavour Aug. 8 to 21, 2007, taking part in three of the mission's four spacewalks, the highest number of spacewalks performed in a single mission, and spent 17 hours and 47 minutes outside, a Canadian record.

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